The Presidency on Sunday regretted that the United States administration of former President Barack Obama starved Nigeria of deserved support in the war against terrorism in the country.
Senior Special Assistant to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, who made this assertion in Washington, noted that the meeting between Presidents Trump and Buhari will centre on security especially on the fight against terrorism among others.
He observed that the relationship between Nigeria and the US has recorded remarkable improvement since the coming onboard of President Trump.
Speaking on the presence of Buhari in the White House, the presidential aide said: “One is, no matter how Nigerians take our own country, this is hugely an important country and this recognition is being manifested in this visit.”
He added: “But it is important to know that beyond the symbolism of the visit, there are important matters affecting both countries that will be placed on the table when the two Presidents meet.
“We have the understanding that the two delegations have their agenda clearly spelt out and there will be interest and focus on the matter of security and safety, focus on trade and investment and focus on democratic development in our country.
“It is important that cooperation between the two countries have manifestly increased under the Trump’s presidency.
“If you recall sometime back, the President had reason to openly complained that we are not receiving as much as we thought we deserve in terms of support and cooperation especially in our fight against terrorism back then during the Obama period.
“And it will seem that quite dramatically and interestingly, a lot of the obstacles are being removed under the Trump’s presidency and doors are being opened and we are receiving far more support than most people had expected.”
ALSO READ: Buhari commends Adenuga for creating jobs for Nigerians, salutes him at 65
President Buhari arrived Washington DC on board Nigeria Air Force aircraft NA, 001 about 8:35 am local time on Sunday for the scheduled meeting with Trump.
With him is Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunke Amosun, his counterparts from Plateau State, Simon Lalong, Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and her counterpart from House of Representatives Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje.
Others were the Chief of Defence Staff, Director General, NIA, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the Nigeria Ambassador to the United States, Justice Sylvester Nsofor, rtd, among others.
Buhari was welcomed by a pro-Buhari group which stormed the Blair House, his official accommodation, with placards in support of the Buhari’s fight against corruption and his re-election.
Shehu spoke on the pro-Buhari solidarity visit saying: “It is a very pleasant development and this tells you that America is a totally different clime. There is a deep appreciation for the work the President is doing for our country.”
The group was led by Wale Adewoye who said they were at Blair House to show their support for the president.